Apple's next iPhone reaffirmed to have smaller 19-pin dock connector

Joining earlier claims that Apple plans to shrink the dock connector on its next iPhone, Reuters reported on Monday that Apple's sixth-generation handset will feature a 19-pin port.

The change will "make room for the earphone moving to the bottom," Monday's report said, citing two unnamed sources. Authors Clare Jim and Lee Chyen Yee also reaffirmed that the next iPhone is expected to go on sale "around October."

Claims of a "mini dock" for the next iPhone are not new, but more specific reports of a 19-pin dock connector first surfaced over a month ago. The new standard will presumably be incompatible with current accessories, but would allow Apple to adopt new product designs, such as a larger battery or smaller form factor.

Analysts who spoke with Reuters believe that Apple will attempt to placate current iPhone customers who will upgrade to the new model and find their existing accessories no longer work. It was speculated that Apple will provide some sort of adaptor allowing the new iPhone to be used with legacy accessories that rely on the 30-pin connection.

Also supporting claims of a smaller dock connector on the next iPhone are device renderings and third-party cases that have leaked online in recent weeks. They also show a device with a larger, 16-to-9 display, along with a headphone jack moved to the bottom of the device.

Other parts that have leaked online suggest the next iPhone will have a centered FaceTime camera, while the home button below the front display will remain unchanged. The next iPhone is also expected to feature in-cell touchscreen technology that will allow the display on the handset to be even thinner than the current design.

I don't care if it's smaller, as long as it's way faster. Data transfers are excruciatingly slow.

The current form factor is good. If they really feel the need to increase the screen size, they can shrink some of the black space and barely change the case size. It doesn't need to be any thinner. Speaking of data speeds, Sprint just gave me a .11Mbps down and .28Mbps up check. Bleh. Yes its unlimited data but its so slow

I'm amazed the current connector has lasted this long (especially given Apple's penchant for changing power and video connectors on laptops). It needs to be brought up to date, and this is probably a good time. A MagSafe version might be nice, but probably difficult with 19 pins. Adapters aren't perfect (I.e for docking speaker systems) but should suffice in many situations.

Originally Posted by Zozman
as much as id like a new connector, there are so so so many third part devices (Car stereos, speakers, car chargers & lots more) that use the current style 30pin connector.

Who cares? Why should Apple give a crap about the past if they know something is better?

They made a new MagSafe port. It's barely over a millimeter thinner. Should they have made it thinner than it is? I think so, but I know very little of electrical engineering to know if it would have been possible.

MagSafe was "fine", and would have been more than fine for any other manufacturer (because no other manufacturer even tries to make anything anywhere near similar to it), but Apple made it better because it was holding back their product development.

Just like the DECADE-OLD 30-pin Dock Connector is.

They'll make a new port, they'll make a $10 adapter for it, and the entire accessory industry will get $10,000,000,000 from people buying new accessories to be directly compatible with their new devices.